He is God

Meditations on Romans 

August 31, 2021

He is God

And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Romans 9:5b

Read Romans 9:1-5

Wow, what a shift in tone. From the exhilarating proclamation in chapter 8 of all that God has worked into the life of the followers of Jesus, Paul begins chapter 9 with his personal confession of sorrow for his Jewish brothers and sisters. Yogi Berra said when you come to a fork in the road, take it. Here Paul makes clear that it is hugely important which fork you take. Jesus is God’s Messiah who came first to God’s people, Israel, to show them how to live in a right relationship with God and thus fulfill their destiny. But the Messiah came for not just Israel, but for the entire world, and according to Paul, following the Messiah is the only way to live in a right relationship with God. Paul is completely heartbroken that his brethren have denied their Messiah. Paul’s personal lament is an invitation to each of us to consider how heartbroken, or not, we are over those within our own family, our neighbors and others within our circle of influence, for whom the love of God in Christ Jesus is yet a stranger.

My Takeaway: I saw an ad recently from The Great Courses, a lifelong learning company, for a course on, How Jesus Became God. While there is no doubt that the divinity of Jesus is a significant theological underpinning of the Western worldview, it really isn’t a mystery. Jesus didn’t become God; Jesus is God! Paul stated it pretty emphatically in verse 5, “Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.” (See also Colossians 1:15-20)

Yes, Amen!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Not Even The Powers Of Hell

Meditations on Romans 

August 30, 2021

Not Even The Powers Of Hell

If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Romans 8:31b

Read Romans 8:31-39

I am not sure there is another passage in the entire Bible that exceeds the beautiful prose in this closing passage to Romans 8. We could camp out here for a while, but for today, I just want to share three insights. First, let the ground of your life in Christ be in verse 31b quoted above. The wonder of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus is proclaimed in verses 31-34 and assures us we can now and for all eternity rest in God’s love for us.

Secondly, the wonder of the power and beauty of God’s New Covenant relationship with us is proclaimed in the middle section, verses 35-37. The Old Covenant included blessings and curses (See Deuteronomy 11). Under the Old Covenant, the bad things coming into the life of Job was the basis for Job’s friends to accuse him of having sin in his camp. Bad things, curses, were evidence of sin and sin cut you off from God. Living under the New Covenant, and over and against the Old Covenant, Paul asked a rhetorical question, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

Paul then closes this passage with a catalog of all the forces that we encounter in life and concludes “nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

My Takeaway: God is for me. Who can be against me, and is more powerful than God? There is none! Nothing can separate me from God’s love for me in Christ Jesus. What else do I need to know? I think I’ll sing the Doxology.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

JUST LIKE JESUS

Meditations on Romans 

August 27, 2021

JUST LIKE JESUS

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

Romans 8:26a

Read Romans 8:26-30

Chapter 8 points out that we get to choose to participate with God in his transformation of our lives. Making an informed decision to participate with God in the transformation of our lives requires knowledge of God’s plan. In today’s passage, Paul provides valuable insights into God’s intended work in our lives.

First is the really good news that God does not leave us to our own devices to try and accomplish His will for our lives; the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. How does the Holy Spirit help us? Two ways. First, the Holy Spirit prays for us, and the Spirit’s prayers for us are in harmony with God’s own will. What’s God’s will for us? God wants us to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. I like the way popular author Max Lucado says this in the title of one of his books: God Loves You Just the Way You Are, But He Refuses to Leave You That Way. He Wants You to Be JUST LIKE JESUS.

My Takeaway: The second way the Holy Spirit helps us is by working all things together for good in our lives. Remember, the good is God’s good, not necessarily what we think is good for us. And God’s good is that we would become like Jesus. Here’s where we get to choose again. God wants to use everything we experience in life for His good work of transforming us to become like Jesus. But He will not force His will on us; we have to choose to invite Him to complete His work of forming Christ within us.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

 Meditations on Romans

August 26, 2021

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Romans 8:18

Read Romans 8:18-25

The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, looked forward to the time when God will make all things right in the world. One particular passage in his prophesy has captured the hearts of poets and artists: “In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all” (Isaiah 11:6). The Apostle Paul also looked forward to God’s ultimate redemption of His creation. In today’s passage, Paul envisions all creation groaning as in the pains of childbirth as it looks forward to the day when creation will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. Paul is convinced of two facts: all creation fell out of God’s created order as a result of Adam’s sin; “creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” (v. 21) God will restore His paradise!

My Takeaway: I have frequently noted that what is true for Jesus is true for his people. Paul makes that point is verse 18, quoted above. The writer of the epistle Hebrews said we are able to embrace verse 18 “. . . by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (Hebrews 12:2). Follow Jesus!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Now We Call Him, “Abba, Father”

 Meditations on Romans

August 25, 2021

Now We Call Him, “Abba, Father”

For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

Romans 8:16

Read Romans 8:12-17

For the Apostle Paul, new life in Christ was as different as night and day, as life and death. To make his point, he often used strong language, such as verse 13: “But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.” (Emphasis mine) (See also Romans 6 and Galatians 2) By appealing to the ‘power of the Spirit,’ Paul makes his case that the Christian ideal of new life in Christ is not just pie in the sky. By God, in God and through God, we are transformed to become like Christ and experience the life of Christ here and now. Paul believed this new life in Christ so surpassed anything this world has to offer, he considered everything else as worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. This too is my goal. And as Paul forgot the past so he could press on to make the life in Christ his way of life, so also do I. (See Philippians 3:7-14).

My Takeaway: When Simon Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus blessed him and said, “. . . my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being” (Matthew 16:17). Paul affirmed Jesus’ teaching when he proclaimed, “Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15c-16). I believe the greatest days in the life of the believers are when we experience God’s Spirit affirming with our spirit that we are his, and he is our Abba, our Father.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Double Blessing

 Meditations on Romans

August 24, 2021

Double Blessing

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Romans 8:11

Read Romans 8:5-11

After Paul tells us that we have been set free from the law of sin and death, Paul announces that we who have been set free are now controlled by the Holy Spirit and thus think about things that please the Spirit. Our new mind of Christ leads to life and peace. Paul repeats this same theme in his letter to the Philippians where he calls us to fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

For Paul, resting in God’s peace is a litmus test. Does it seem your life is characterized more by fear, anxiety, worry and doubts? Paul would tell you that you are dominated by the sinful nature and are not controlled by the Holy Spirit. He would urge you to stop and change the direction of your life.

My Takeaway:  I love the double blessing in the closing verse in today’s passage. Paul again affirms that what is true for the Messiah is true for Christianoi, the people of Christ. First, we get new life today when we submit ourselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. And God raised Jesus from the dead; what happened to Christ will happen to his people as well! As we say in the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” (Emphasis Mine)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Am His Sheep

Meditations on Romans 

August 23, 2021

I Am His Sheep

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)

Read Romans 8:1-4

When I read Romans 8, I feel like a kid in a candy shop. It’s not hyperbole to say that everything we need to know about living as a child of God is found in Romans 8. Scholars have written entire commentaries just on chapter 8 because it is so densely packed with revelations of how God intends for his children to be transformed by the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. As a devotional exercise, you may want to spend 39 days with chapter 8, taking just one verse each day to ponder, meditate, and open your heart for God to speak to you. I’ve done this, and commend this exercise to you.

As for today’s reading, I believe this passage should be in the top two or three passages we memorize in scripture. I encourage you to read it in several different translations so that you can be fully immersed in the wonder and power of God’s grace.

(This site can help you easily access multiple translations of the Bible: https://www.biblegateway.com/)

The two verses quoted above are a succinct summary of the Kerygma. This Greek word described the form of preaching in the New Testament church. (For examples see Luke 4:18-19, Romans 10:14, Matthew 3:1) In these messages, the complete work of Jesus as God’s Messiah was presented. The Apostles’ Creed is a similar presentation of God’s complete plan of redemption of humankind. In this powerful passage in Romans, Paul makes his case that our condition (presented in Chapter Seven) of being in the vise-grip of sin has been completely broken by the power of God’s grace which has given us new life. No longer are we in sin’s grip; now we are held securely by Jesus:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

John 10:27-20 

My Takeaway: Thank God! My answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord because I am one of his sheep!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Juxtaposing Law And Grace

Meditations on Romans 

August 20, 2021

Juxtaposing Law And Grace

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 7:24-25a

Read Romans 7:21-25

Paul was a genius. All through this chapter, which is so necessary to frame the condition of God’s people, he has made the power of sin abundantly clear. He affirmed in verse fourteen that we are all too human, slaves to sin, and he closed Chapter Seven with these words: “. . . because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin” (Romans 7:25b). Wow, we are in a tough place!

Even so, I can just picture Paul as he was writing these closing verses. He is sitting at his table writing this truth: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Then I can see the smile that came across his face as he jumped up and danced a little jig before returning to his table to proclaim: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Paul is the master of juxtaposing law and grace! In the next passage, Paul tells us how Jesus is the answer. For today, let’s just take time to worship the One who is the answer!

My Takeaway: I can too easily get caught up and dwell far too long on Paul’s assertion of what a miserable person I am. For me, daily I need to heed the advice of the writer of Hebrews 12:2 and keep my eyes on Jesus, who gave me faith and who is at work perfecting my faith. Yes, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Trouble Is With Me

Meditations on Romans 

August 19, 2021

The Trouble Is With Me

 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

Romans 7:19

Read Romans 7:13-20

This passage in Chapter Seven can be a little confusing because our first tendency is to think Paul is speaking autobiographically. He is, but not personally, rather as a spokesman for Israel. Remember, while Paul is speaking personally, he also is making a lament for Israel’s failure to be a witness for God. It is important that we keep this larger vision in mind so we can appropriately apply Paul’s message to our lives and to the lives of our churches. Paul makes the case that it is God’s mission for us to be His witnesses to the world and that the manifestation of our sinful condition causes us to fail in this mission.

My Takeaway: I can think of ten thousand examples where I wanted to do what is good, but I didn’t, and where I didn’t want to do what is wrong, but I did it anyway. Paul’s wants me to come to Jesus over my failures, but not too quickly. Jesus wants me to take time to think through my failures. He is far more concerned with how my failures are complicit with my church’s failure to be a witness for Christ to this fallen world than with me breaking my diet by wolfing down three French Macaron cookies tonight.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

A Continuing Tension

Meditations on Romans 

August 18, 2021

A Continuing Tension

But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

Romans 7:12

Read Romans 7:7-12

If there were no posted speed limit signs on an Interstate Highway, how fast would you drive? I suspect we all would drive as fast as is comfortable for us. The problem is we all have different comfort levels, and some would be seemingly slow poking, while others would zip on by us. How fast do you drive? I tend to set my speed control at seven or eight miles an hour above the posted limit on an Interstate. And I am continually passed by cars traveling much faster. So it is with the law. Limits are established and people press against them. God created Adam and Eve and gave them limits, and they pressed against them.

God created his people, Israel, and gave them limits to form an ordered society that would be his witnesses to the entire world. And Israel pressed against the limits and totally lost sight of her mission to be God’s witnesses. This, in essence, is Paul’s lament in Chapter Seven.

My Takeaway: I believe there is a continuing tension in our life in Christ. I use the word tension in a very positive way, as in the tension Itzhak Perlman puts on the strings of his violin in order to make beautiful music. On the one hand, there are the commands of God which are holy and right and good. On the other hand, there is the freedom of living in God’s grace. Life in Christ is not one or the other; it is both/and. My mission is to keep the proper tension between the two hands.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Your Life In Christ Jesus

Meditations on Romans 

August 17, 2021

Your Life In Christ Jesus

Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

Romans 7:6

Read: Romans 7:1-6

I first encountered the power of the verse quoted above when I led a study of Dr. Larry Crabb’s book, The Pressure's Off: Breaking Free from Rules and Performance. I highly recommend the book and learning to live with the pressure off by serving God in the new way of living in the Spirit. My mission to seek the life in Christ as my way of life is informed by this translation of Philippians 2:5, “Let your bearing towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus” (New English Bible, 1961). My mission could just as easily have been informed by Romans 7:6.

Paul was absolutely persuaded that Christ had delivered to us an altogether new life and a new way to live. Our new way of living in the Spirit is the way we let our relationships with one another arise out of our life in Christ Jesus. In most of Chapter Seven, Paul will demonstrate how God’s people failed to be His witness to the fallen world through the keeping of rules and regulations. However, he begins Chapter Seven by showing us that there is a way to be a faithful witness for God. He will return, in a very powerful way, to this theme in Chapter Eight. For now, let’s just hold firm to this truth: God has given us a new way of living in the Spirit.

My Takeaway: The translation of Philippians 2:5 above is a perfect example of reckoning (I discussed reckoning last week on August 11). I love the way it is stated as fact, “…your life in Christ Jesus.” My reckoning is my choosing to let my bearing towards others arise from my life in Christ. This is the new way of living in the Spirit.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Sins Power is Broken

 Meditations on Romans

August 16, 2021

Sins Power is Broken

Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.

Romans 6:23 (MSG)

Read: Romans 6:20-23

Paul understood that there are two ages: the present age and the age to come. The present age is our experience in the fallen world, a world dominated by sin and the forces of evil. The age to come is when God will put all things right in the world he created. Paul also understood that Jesus’ life and death foreshadowed the age to come in two important ways. First, Jesus reveals God’s unfailing love for humankind, and the first coming, or advent of Christ, is the ground of our hope in the Second Coming of Christ to inherit his Kingdom.  

Secondly, Jesus brings his coming Kingdom forward into this present age as his followers chose to give themselves wholeheartedly and full-time into God’s way of doing things. It is really that simple. As the followers of Christ live for God today, they reveal to the world what it will be like to live under the reign of God. You only have to look at the out-pouring of sacrificial love in times of natural disasters to see how God’s people are modeling God’s love to a fallen world.

My Takeaway: I rejoice in seeing so many examples of the love of Christ displayed as Christians reach out to help those in need during times of crisis. My hope for my life, and for those longing for the coming Kingdom with me, is that the life of Christ on display during times of crisis becomes our way of life, every day.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Self-Centered, or Christ-Centered

 Meditations on Romans

August 13, 2021

Self-Centered, or Christ-Centered

Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!

Romans 6:15

Read: Romans 6:15-19

Paul used stark language again: this time about slavery. Slavery was well understood in the First Century. Because of this, Paul used the slavery metaphor to illustrate the life of the individual before they knew of Jesus’ love for them, and as a metaphor for their new life in God’s grace. It was a matter of to whom they were to be attached, whom they chose as master of their lives.

For Paul it was really a simple choice. Either you remained self-centered, living any old way you wanted, doing anything that comes to mind, or you became Christ-centered and offered yourselves to the ways of God.

My Takeaway:  Is it really that simple? Yes! And, no! What is already true is that by faith I am a new creation in Christ. My role is to reckon this as true in my life. Yes, God is at work in me, but this work is not accomplished in one fell swoop. Sanctification is the word we attach to this process of becoming what we already are. John Wesley urged his people to claim this truth by affirming that they were going on to perfection. It is a belief that as I surrender my life to God, I will become what he has already made me! My goal is to reckon it truer today than it was yesterday.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Freedom of God’s Grace

Meditations on Romans 

August 12, 2021

The Freedom of God’s Grace

Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things.

Romans 6:13b (MSG)

Read: Romans 6:12-14

Paul closed this passage with a statement that I always want to keep close to my heart and mind: “. . . you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14b). Remember how Paul used the word ‘reckon’ in the previous passage? (Romans 6:6-11) Reckoning reveals what is already true. What is already true for those seeking the life in Christ as their way of life is that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. We have died to our old way of living and have been raised with Christ to live a life of faith in God’s way of doing things. What is already true is that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within the life of the disciples of Christ. It is that power of the Holy Spirit that Paul referred to when he wrote, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

My Takeaway: What is already true is that I am an altogether different person than I was before I knew of God’s love for me in Christ Jesus. What is not yet quite true is that the life I live today fully reveals who I am in Christ. Two words in the passage quoted above leap off the page to me: wholeheartedly and full-time. Christ offers me a life of living under the freedom of God’s grace. Why do I respond halfheartedly and only part-time? I need to do some serious pondering on this!

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Am A Child Of God

 Meditations on Romans

August 11, 2021

I Am A Child Of God

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:11 (NKJV)

Read: Romans 6:6-11

Most translations use the words, ‘consider yourselves,’ in verse 11, but I do not believe this phrasing captures the power of Paul’s teaching. The NKJV uses the words ‘reckon yourselves,’ which comes closer. The root of the Greek word Paul used is an accounting term for calculating the total or sum of something. When a shop owner closes for the day, the cash register is emptied and counted. The day’s income is calculated, or reckoned. The total income was already a fact before the shop owner counted the money. The money was already in the register. Reckoning or counting the money only reveals to the shop owner what is already true.

Paul is urging the followers of Christ to reckon what Christ has already accomplished for his people. Remember, what is true for Jesus is true for his people. Jesus has conquered the power of sin and death; so also Jesus’ people.

As he did in Galatians 2:20, Paul uses the stark language of the believer being co-crucified with Christ to illustrate the total realignment of our lives when we come home to God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul is teaching that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5) He uses the cross to help us understand that we have died with Christ, and we have been raised to new life in Christ.

Paul is urging the followers of Christ to live out of their new identity as the beloved children of God, as Jesus’ people. Just as Joshua called the people of Israel to “choose today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15), Paul is calling the people of Jesus to remember who they are and to live out of that reality.

My Takeaway: When Martin Luther was feeling pulled by temptation, he would shout, “I am baptized!” That was his way of reminding himself he belonged to Jesus, and it helped him exercise integrity at the moment of decision. Like Luther, I have a ‘go-to’ phrase to remind me to live out of the truth of my core identity: I am a child of God.

What helps you choose each day to live out of the reality of your new life in Christ?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

An Insult To God And His Son, Christ Jesus

 Meditations on Romans

August 10, 2021

An Insult To God And His Son, Christ Jesus

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Romans 6:4

Read: Romans 6:1-5

Romans Six is one of the most powerful chapters in the entire Bible. I am going to divide it into five meditations, but we could well spend much longer here. I encourage you to read the full chapter in one sitting, especially in the translation, The Message, and let the wonder of God’s grace wash over you!

Paul uses the metaphor of baptism to make his point, and while it certainly is a reference to our baptism as believers in Jesus, Paul has in mind the deeper truth of our baptism by the Holy Spirit into new life in Christ Jesus. Please remember this truth as you read Chapter Six.

In the previous chapters, Paul has made his case that it is a fruitless endeavor to try and earn God’s favor by trying to keep the law of God. It can’t be done. Some folks in Paul’s audience were tempted to give up trying to live a moral and upright life. They thought that since God’s grace was so great, they would just go through life doing whatever they wanted and trust God’s grace to cover their sins. Not so fast, said Paul. God’s grace is not intended to gloss over our sins; rather, God’s grace is intended to empower us to lead new, Christ-like lives.

My Takeaway: My sin, that is my condition as one estranged from God, could only be cured through the sacrifice Christ made for me (and you). My sins are the manifestation of original sin. Yes, Christ has forever cured my condition, but I still succumb to the temptation to sin. Paul will address this condition at the magnificent end of Chapter Seven and the even more magnificent beginning of Chapter Eight. Even so, today let me repent from the tendency to act like my sins don’t matter to God and His son, Christ Jesus. They do. They do.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Because One Person

 Meditations on Romans

 August 9, 2021

Because One Person

Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19

Read: Romans 5:18-21

Paul concludes Chapter five with this incredible statement, “. . . now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:21). Grace rules our life, not striving to be perfect! We have right standing with God; God calls us friends! We will not die. Eternal life in Christ is life uninterrupted by death!

These wonderful promises by God for our life in Christ are meant to mark our lives. Today may be a good time to ask, “Is God’s grace ruling my life?” “Do my interactions with others reveal my right standing relationship with God?” “Am I dwelling in the peace that comes from knowing I am in the eternal embrace of God my Father?”

My Takeaway: Because one person, Jesus, obeyed God, I am living forever in the smile of God’s affection for me. One person did this, for me and for you! Because this One Person, Jesus, obeyed God, we are given the opportunity to be a ‘one person’ for others. I thought about this a few years ago when I received the news a former parishioner had died suddenly. I remembered the day we talked in my office and prayed together. I remembered the day I plunged him beneath the baptismal waters in the Intracoastal Waterway. I remembered all the lives he touched because of his new-found faith in Christ. One person!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.